


The Thrill of First Love

by Jackyboy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Elements of a toxic friendship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Fighting, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Hook-Up, Iwaizumi is angry, Jealous Iwaizumi Hajime, M/M, Oikawa is just as angry, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, They just need to learn to talk, Things will get better, and stop fighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27889915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackyboy/pseuds/Jackyboy
Summary: It hadn’t always been like this between the two of them. In the beginning of them being roommates, and even prior to this arrangement, they had worked exceptionally well together. They would bicker here and there as any friends did, but they were always able to move on within moments. Now, it often ended in a silent apartment, or in one of them going to stay with a friend (namely Matsukawa and Hanamaki).
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The Thrill of First Love

“Iwa-chan, your clothes do not belong in the bathroom! It’s like a goddamn obstacle course in here,” Oikawa’s voice carries through the small apartment from where he stood in the bathroom all the way to Hajime’s ears in his bedroom. Hajime pinches the bridge of his nose in between his thumb and pointer finger and lets out a hefty sigh at the sound. It was although he could foretell another blow-out coming as his whole body tensed up when he heard walking towards his bedroom.

“I’ll clean it up dumbass, it's just a pair of shorts and a t- shirt.” Oikawa now stood at his doorway with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and an unamused expression on his face. The music Hajime had been listening to hums in the background as they stare silently at each other like some sort of stand off. It was Oikawa who finally broke first and shifted his eyes to a far wall, away from Hajime.

“Or you could just start acting like you care about the cleanliness of our apartment,” Oikawa mumbles in a pointed tone. There it was, he was looking to pick a fight again. It hadn’t always been like this between the two of them. In the beginning of them being roommates, and even prior to this arrangement, they had worked exceptionally well together. They would bicker here and there as any friends did, but they were always able to move on within moments. Now, it often ended in a silent apartment, or in one of them going to stay with a friend (namely Matsukawa and Hanamaki).

“Don’t give me that shit Oikawa I care about this place and you know it,” Hajime says, moving to fully sit up now. “I do so much around here that you always bitch about doing. Who does the dishes? Laundry? For the past nine months-”

“Ten months,” Oikawa interrupts him, looking back at him again.

“Nine months.”

“Ten months.” Hajime groans and rubs both of his eyes in annoyance.

“Does it fucking matter?” He snaps, and Oikawa glares at him. “Why are you trying to start a fight about this? About something you know is bullshit?’ Hajime asks. A heavy silence hung between them, and that alone seemingly answered his question. As much as he would hate to admit, Hajime probably started as many of their arguments as his roommate did. Otherwise it would be silent like this. 

It would be impossible to name when it started, or pinpoint the exact cause of it. All Hajime knew was it had evolved into this over their nine months within this apartment. Slowly, they began getting on each other’s nerves more and more easily, and began nitpicking everything the other would do. Things like too strong cologne, too many late nights, or leaving clothes on the floor like today. The apartment floor had quickly become one of egg-shells, and Hajime and Oikawa were constantly tip-toeing around to avoid breaking any. Now, there was no tip-toeing. Rather it was almost like a contest between the two of them of ‘who can break the most?’. It seemed they both saw this as a better alternative than radio silence.

“If you think I’m such a lousy roommate why don’t I just move out then?” Oikawa finally says, breaking the suffocating stillness between them. Hajime actually laughed aloud at him.

“Oh my god here you go again. You’re not going to move out Oikawa. You say this and then leave for a night but you always are back in the morning.” There was irony in his accusation towards the other, as he had been guilty of the exact same crime numerous times. They pushed and pulled at each other like this. 

“Fuck you Iwa-Chan.” The nickname from elementary school had stuck like glue despite everything. He almost wishes Oikawa had left it behind like everything else there had been between them. Hajime watches as Oikawa spinson his heel and marches away towards the front door.

“Oh where are you going?” His question was more rhetorical than anything. Hajime could take an easy enough guess at where the brunette was headed. There were only a handful of places Oikawa would wander off to this late in the evening.

“The bar.” Oikawa answers as he shrugs on his navy coat and shoves his feet into his shoes. Hajime stood about two metres from him with his arms firmly folded over his chest as he tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. Really, he should be used to this by now.

“Just don’t be an idiot,” Hajime says, not making an attempt to stop the other from leaving. Oikawa’s hand stalls as he reaches out for the door knob. He stands there for only a blink of an eye, as if having second thoughts. Ultimately, he seemed to push away any reservations he had and threw open the door before slamming it behind him. 

The place was silent again and felt colder than when Oikawa had still been present. It always did when this outcome happened. Yet Hajime always let it happen knowing full well what the consequences would be. Oikawa would go to a bar, get drunk, pick up some stranger to either bring back to their apartment to further piss Hajime off, or go to theirs so they wouldn’t have to face one another till morning. Then the next day Hajime would be there to take care of his hungover roommate with coffee and breakfast and for one fleeting moment they’d experience peace before the cycle started all over again.

Or the opposite would happen. Hajime would leave and go stay with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, sleep horribly on the couch, and come back the next morning to find the dishes done, and breakfast on the table. It was like a routine they had developed, one that never involved a proper apology or even an exchange over words over the matter. They would pretend it never happened until the next argument arose. Hajime knew it wasn’t good, wasn’t practical, wasn’t healthy, but it was all they knew now.

* * *

The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the apartment as Hajime awoke. His bones crack as he stretches his arms above his head and blinks the room into focus. Despite it being nearly nine in the morning now on a saturday, Hajime’s head still felt heavy as if it were a wednesday and he was up for a morning class. He slowly pushes himself out of bed and follows the promising scent of coffee into the kitchen.

“Ah Iwa-Chan, you’re finally awake. Coffee is on the pot if you want some,” Oikawa greets him with a cheery hum in his voice. With a nod in acknowledgement, Hajime pours himself a cup and takes up the chair across the small table where Oikawa sat. His hands were clutching on to his phone as he appeared to be reading something. They didn’t exchange words as they both sat there. However it wasn’t uncomfortable or heavy as it often was. Rather it was calm, and peaceful quiet. Hajime didn’t allow himself to get too used to this when it happened, as he knew it would be back to what they had become soon enough.

“I think we should get some plants,” Oikawa suggests, setting down his phone to look with a meaningful stare around their home. Hajime follows his eyes around the room, taking in their surroundings. Their apartment was that of what one would expect of a space owned by two college aged boys living on their own for the first time. The furniture and appliances, if not pre owned were bought cheaply, and some were on the verge of breaking. Their microwave needed to be whacked in order to work and the toaster made a buzzing sound whenever turned on.

“Could we even keep them alive longer than a week?” Hajime snorts, turning his attention back to Oikawa now. His roommate rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee (he took it with one cream and two sugar. Hajime had memorized most of his orders throughout the years). 

“I would keep them alive,” Oikawa responds and Hajime didn’t miss the use of “I” but didn’t comment on it. Instead he chose to lean back in his chair with a hum.

“Okay,” He began, with the smallest hint of a smile, “let’s go get some plants.”

It was the first time they had gone anywhere together in at least a month. Errands were always run alone now, and even when they were invited out anywhere, conflicts in schedules made it impossible for both of them to go. The domestic feeling of walking around a store with Oikawa, to buy plants nonetheless, was a foreign but not unwelcome feeling for Hajime. Like a punch to the gut he realized how much he missed this.

“Iwa-Chan look, this one is short and prickly like you!” Oikawa chirps from down the aisle. Hajime trails down after him, and huffs when he sees the other is closely inspecting a small cactus with a grin. 

“I'm five foot ten jackass. That’s above average.” He resists the urge to punch Oikawa in the arm.

“Reach six foot then you can talk.” This time Hajime didn’t hold back punching his friend in the arm. Oikawa yelps with a string of curses directed at Hajime while the latter just snickers and moves down the aisle.

An hour later, Oikawa stood at Hajime’s side with a cart full of an assortment of various different small green plants, a smile of satisfaction on his face. The whole trip thus far they had gone without any true arguments. Perhaps it was the fact they were in public that subdued them both, but it felt like some kind of record. It should call for some sort of celebration like a round of shots or a party. Hajime muses over this thought as they approach the cash register.

“I’m going to pull the car up front so it’s easier to load up.” His suggestion was met by a grin from Oikawa that was for once directed towards him.

“Such a gentleman Iwa-Chan! Why can’t you be like this all the time?” Hajime scrunches his nose in annoyance at Oikawa before stalking away to the door, mumbling insults under his breath. Despite his grumpy demeanor, Hajime actually felt quite light, like some weight was being lifted off his shoulder. Even though their dynamic had developed what seemed like a passion for fighting, Hajime hated every moment of it. Maybe now, things would start to fix themselves.

These hopeful thoughts continue as he pulls the car around to the front of the store. Once parked he was able to see inside the glass windows of the nursery; meaning he could see Oikawa paying. The brunette was loading the plants into a large square box with the help of the female cashier. She was laughing at something he was saying, leaning closer than she probably needed to be. When everything was loaded up, Hajime watched as the cashier wrote something on the back of a white piece of paper he assumed to be the receipt. Was she giving Oikawa her number?

Oikawa was out the door moments later, gripping his purchases between his hands as he approached the car. Hajime pops the trunk without so much as sparing his roommate a glance. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but something about seeing Oikawa’s exchange with the cashier girl was making his blood boil. 

“Jeez, why do you look like you’re about to punch someone’s lights out?’ Oikawa inquires as he seats himself on the passenger’s side. At the question, Hajime simply grunts in response and puts the car into drive. “What’s wrong with you now? You were actually docile for once and now this?”

“Oh my god Oikawa shut up,” Hajime snaps, refusing to take his eyes off the road but still having enough peripheral vision to see Oikawa furrowing his eyebrows. The car was silent, not even a whisper of breath heard as it appeared they were both holding it in. 

“What did I do now then?” Oikawa was looking right at Hajime now, and he could feel something akin to a burning inside him.

“Nothing. Just, god why do you feel the need to flirt with every single living person on this planet? What happened to the guy from two nights ago hm?” The aforementioned man had been who Oikawa had brought home in response to their argument regarding Hajime’s floor clothes. “Or the girl from a few days before then?” He didn’t want to be getting mad like this, but apparently that’s what they did now right? Tugged at each other until someone broke? 

“I didn’t know that my sexual and romantic life affected you so much. What would you like me to do? Run past you every person I plan on accosting for the foreseeable future? Is that what you want?” No, it wasn’t wasn’t Hajime wanted. In fact he wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore, with Oikawa or with himself. He had wanted a peaceful day he had thought but apparently he was some sort of masochist and caused this instead. “For once would you stop acting like an emotionally constipated neanderthal and just leave it alone?’ 

“Fine Oikawa, I'll do what you want, just as alway.” Hajime states, and immediately regrets it. That was the nail in the coffin and he realized it as soon as Oikawa had no retort to it in favour of turning his back away towards Hajime. 

Hajime regrets what he said. Regrets starting the argument at all. But more importantly, he regrets beginning this game of theirs.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my first attempt at an IwaOi fanfic :) It is based off the song The Thrill of First Love from the musical Falsettos! Originally it was going to be a oneshot but I wanted to explore their dynamic in this more and now here we are!  
> Comments and Kudos are extremely appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read!
> 
> -Rae


End file.
